Alan Liere's hunting and fishing report for June 4
Fly fishing
Area rivers are all fishing very well with just a few slow times when inclement weather changes things up.
Dry-dropper rigs with a Chubby Chernobyl and a caddis nymph dropper are always a safe bet.
Double nymph rigs will get it done too, said a guide at Silver Bow Fly Shop. Flows on the Spokane River are still pretty fast for a lot of the good wading spots. There has been some excellent caddis hatches, especially in the evenings.
Trout and kokanee
Trout fishing at Waitts Lake has been excellent for rainbow up to 12 inches and browns up to 16 inches. Leaded line with a small dodger and a Wooly Bugger fly, and with a piece of nightcrawler, is best on the south end of the lake.
Clear Lake trollers are catching brown trout near the bottom and smaller rainbow up high.
Badger Lake is producing cutthroat and kokanee and Fishtrap Lake rainbow up to 16 inches are biting in the narrows.
Still fishermen dangling worms or salmon eggs have been doing pretty well on 11- to 13-inch Diamond Lake rainbow trout.
Sacheen and Davis lakes have been fair for planter rainbow.
Numerous lakes and ponds in the Idaho Panhandle and Clearwater regions will be stocked with catchable-size trout in June.
Fernan Lake in the Idaho Panhandle is just one of these and will receive 5,200 rainbow trout. Just 10 minutes from downtown Coeur d'Alene, anglers of all abilities can enjoy fishing on Fernan from floating docks, miles of shoreline or from boats.
Winchester Lake is just one of 10 lakes to be planted in the Clearwater region. It will receive 6,000 rainbow trout. Located in a beautiful, forested setting, this lake offers easy access.
Docks and fishing platforms enhance fishing opportunities for beginners and accomplished anglers. Facilities include a picnic shelter, fish cleaning station, benches and picnic tables and a variety of camping options.
Steelhead and salmon
The 2026 salmon forecast for Buoy 10 promises another incredible season at the mouth of the Columbia River.
According to preseason forecasts from the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife and Columbia River fishery managers, approximately 651,300 fall Chinook and 511,200 coho are expected to return to the Columbia River this season.
Sockeye season at Brewster will heat up in July, and according to preseason forecasts from WDFW and Columbia River fishery managers, approximately 274,900 sockeye are expected to return to the Columbia River this year, including an estimated 184,000 Okanogan sockeye headed right through the heart of the Brewster fishery.
The Lewis River from the mouth to the overhead powerlines below Merwin Dam is open to chinook fishing June 1 to July 31.
The Wind River salmon and steelhead angling rules have been restored to permanent regulations listed in the Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet. All other permanent rules remain in effect.
The salmon season opener on the Icicle River did not open as previously announced on May 31 and will remain closed until further notice.
Effective immediately, the Skykomish River will not open for fishing of any kind until Nov. 1 to protect returning wild chinook salmon.
The preseason forecast return for the Skykomish River system wild chinook is very low and protection measures are necessary to assist in conservation and recovery during critical migration and spawning periods.
A friend fishing for spring chinook salmon at the confluence of the Little and Main Salmon Rivers at Riggins said the run is much smaller than earlier predicted, and though fishing was tough, he managed to catch a 10-pound hen and three jacks in three days of fishing. Other anglers didn't do nearly as well.
The Hanford Reach sockeye salmon season from Columbia Point (1/3 mile downstream of Interstate 182 Bridge at Richland) to Interstate 182 Bridge at Richland runs June 16 through July 15. The limit will be four sockeye.
It is open only to bank fishing with hand-casted lines from shore on the west (Richland) side of the river. From the Interstate 182 Bridge at Richland, upstream to 650 feet below Priest Rapids Dam, the season will run from June 16 through July 31.
Most of the Lower Columbia River summer salmon and steelhead fisheries downstream of the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco kick off on June 16, but opening and closing dates vary.
All year-round closure areas listed in the Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet and other permanent regulations apply. Anglers are encouraged to sign up for Fishing Rule Change email notifications and to check for emergency rules on the WDFW website before fishing.
Spiny ray
Smallmouth bass fishing has been good on Lake Pend Oreille for anglers casting into shallow water along the shores. Small plastics are doing well.
Smallmouth are also hitting tube jigs along the rocks on the Snake and Columbia rivers, Lake Spokane, Lake Roosevelt and at Banks Lake.
The largest smallmouth are still coming from Dworshak Reservoir, but that fishery is slowing down.
Priest Lake has been seeing good smallmouth fishing the last few years, but the fish are generally smaller.
Crappie fishing has been very good at times on Newman Lake, but Eloika Lake is weeding up without any great reports. Hauser and Hayden have been better.
Lots of eater-size walleye are being caught now on Lake Roosevelt. For larger walleye, try Long Lake or near the first set of net pens on Rufus Woods Reservoir. Good walleye fishing is reported from Kettle Falls to Northport.
Largemouth bass fishing has been excellent in Grant County's Potholes Reservoir. Wacky-rigged Senkos and white spinnerbaits have been effective.
Fish the rock piles between Goose Island and the face of the dam for smallmouth and the weed lines in the sand dunes for post-spawn walleye. Some big bluegill will be on shallow flats in the dunes and crappie will be in the willows.
Other species
All-depth halibut fishing in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) is expected to open for six additional days on June 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23.
The shad run on the Columbia River has really taken off. On Tuesday, a total of 391,600 fish had passed over Bonneville Dam.
If you don't want to drive that far for your shad, try McNary Dam where 14,862 had shown up on the same date.
Contact Alan Liere at spokesmanliere@yahoo.com
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